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Online Privacy & Security Policy

Online Privacy & Security Policy (Revised 17/05/2021)

This Online Privacy & Security Policy (“Policy”) applies to this online interface and every online interface and mobile application offered by The Belize Bank Limited (“the Bank”) and every affiliate or subsidiary online interface that links to this Policy. The terms “Bank” or “we” or “us” or “our” in this Policy refers to the Bank and its affiliates and subsidiaries; and the terms ‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘yours’ means you, the person(s) accessing this Site and any party on whose behalf you are doing so.

This Policy also covers the Bank’s many online services, including our websites, Online Banking, SMS Banking, the Mobile Banking Application, the E-Kyash digital wallet and our branded social media sites or pages, as well as any interactions you may have while viewing content provided through one of our digital advertising campaigns (collectively, “online services”). This Policy (together with the Bank’s Client Deposit and Services Agreement, the Specific Terms and Conditions concerning Online Banking Access and any other documents referred to in it) sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, via our online services will be processed by us.

This Policy explains how we may collect information from you online when you visit or use these online services offered by us that link to or reference this Policy.

This Policy does not apply to the third-party browser or online/mobile store from which you access or install the online services or make payments, which may also collect and use data about you. We are not responsible for any of the data collected by any such third party.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT ACCESS OR USE THE ONLINE SERVICES.

Protecting Information about You from Marketers Outside the Bank

Customer Information means personally identifiable information about you, such as information you provide via forms, surveys, applications or other online fields including your name, postal or email addresses, telephone, fax or mobile numbers, account numbers, government issued identification number, username or password. Unlike many other financial institutions, the Bank does not sell or share any Customer Information with marketers outside the Bank who may want to offer you their own products and services. However, Customer Information may be disclosed or transferred to agents or third parties authorised to act on our behalf for the purposes of providing the designated services of the Bank or to regulators or supervisory authorities as required by law.

Making Security of Information a Priority

Keeping financial information secure is one of our most important responsibilities. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect Customer Information. Our employees are bound by a Code of Conduct that requires confidential treatment of Customer Information and are subject to disciplinary action if they fail to follow this code.

Nevertheless, the internet is not a 100% secure environment, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of the transmission or storage of Customer Information. We hold Customer Information both at our own premises and with the assistance of third-party service providers. The security measures include firewalls, data encryption, physical access controls to our data centers, and information access authorization controls. While we are dedicated to securing our systems and online services, you are responsible for securing and maintaining the privacy of your password(s) and account/profile registration information and verifying that the Customer Information we maintain about you is accurate and current. We are not responsible for protecting any Customer Information that we share with a third-party based on an account connection that you have authorized.

Collection of Information

We may collect Customer Information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect via the online services depends on the online services you use, and includes:

  1. Registration and use information

When you register to use our online services, we will collect Customer Information as necessary to offer and fulfil the online services you request. When you visit or use our online services, we may collect Customer Information and also payment card information.

We may collect certain information about your use of our online services. For example, we may capture the IP address of the device you use to connect to the online service, the type of operating system and browser you use, and information about the site you came from, the parts of our online service you access.

We may also use cookies, web beacons or other technologies to collect and store other information about your visit to, or use of, our online services. Cookies, by themselves, cannot be used to find out the identity of any user. Your browser can alert you when cookies are placed on your device, and how you can stop or disable them via your browser settings. Please note, however, that without cookies all of the features of our online services may not work properly. If you use a mobile device, you can manage how your device and browser share certain device data by changing the privacy and security settings on your mobile device.

We may also collect information through your browser and/or device. We may use this information to ensure that our websites are functioning properly, for fraud detection and prevention and security purposes.

  1. Mobile Device and Geo-Location Information

For your convenience, the Bank offers you the ability to access some of our products and services through our Mobile Banking Application and E-Kyash digital wallet (the “Apps”). When you interact with us through these Apps, we may collect data as needed, such as unique device identifiers for your mobile device, your screen resolution and other device settings, information about your location, and analytical information about how you use your mobile device. We may ask your permission before collecting certain information (such as precise geolocation information) through the Apps.

  1. Financial, Transaction and experience information

When you use or access our online services, for example, to make purchases from merchants, to receive money, to process payments, or to send money to friends and family, we collect information about the transaction, as well as other information associated with the transaction such as amount sent or requested, amount paid for products or services, bank account and payment card numbers.

  1. Participant information

When you use or access our online services, we collect Customer Information you provide to us about other participants associated with the transaction as follows:

  • Send or request money: When you send or request money through the online services, we collect information such as name, postal address, telephone number, and financial account information about the person who is receiving the money from you or sending money to you. The extent of information required about a person may vary depending on the online services you are using to send or request money.
  • Pay or request someone else to pay a bill: If you use our online services to pay a bill for the benefit of someone else, or if you request someone else to pay a bill for you, we collect information from you about the account holder such as name, postal address, telephone number, email address, and account number of the bill that you intend to pay or request to be paid.
  • Add value to your Accounts: If you use our online services to add value to your accounts, or if you ask a person to add value to any of your accounts, we may collect information from you about the other person, or from the other person about you to facilitate the request.
  1. Information about you from third-party sources

We obtain information about you from third-party sources such as merchants, data providers, verification service providers, credit bureaus and publicly available sources

where permitted by law. This includes, without limitation, the receipt and exchange of account or credit-related information with any credit reporting agency or credit bureau, where lawful, and any person or corporation with whom you have had, currently have, or may have a financial relationship, including without limitation past, present, and future places of employment, financial institutions, and personal reporting agencies.

  1. Other information we collect related to your use of our online services

We may also collect information about your online transactions and account experience, as well as information about our online communications with you. Examples include your payment histories, account balances and other transaction records.

How we may share information

The Bank does not sell or share Customer Information collected from our online services with marketers outside the Bank, who may want to offer you their own products and services. We grant access to personal information about you (such as your name, address, and social security number and credit history) to our employees so that they can provide or offer products and services to you, process and service your accounts, and administer our business.

We may share Customer Information with our correspondent banks and our affiliates who are contractually obligated to keep the Customer Information we provide to them confidential and to use the Customer Information we share only to provide the services we ask them to perform for you and us. We also may share Customer Information we collect about you online to anyone who the Bank reasonably believes is conducting a legitimate credit inquiry, including without limitation, inquiries to verify existence or condition of an account for a third party such as a lender, merchant or credit bureau, in response to any subpoena, summons, court or administrative order, or other legal process issued by a regulatory, administrative or judicial authority or tribunal whether within or outside Belize, which the Bank believes requires its compliance; on a closed account, if the Bank reasonably believe you have mishandled it; in connection with collection of indebtedness or to report losses incurred by the Bank; in compliance with any agreement between the Bank and a professional, regulatory or disciplinary body or with the laws of Belize; in connection with potential sales of businesses and to carefully selected service providers or third parties who help the Bank meet customer’s needs by providing or offering Bank services or their own products or services; in connection with the sale of our Bank or banking business of the Bank to a third party.

Our Code of Conduct requires that your information remain confidential, subject to the terms and conditions of any agreements you have made with us. Even if you are no longer our customer, we will continue to treat your non-public personal information in the same way as if you were still a customer. In addition, we maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to guard this personal information. However, we may share your information if we believe that disclosure is reasonably necessary, within Belize or to any other jurisdiction:

  • to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request (e.g., regulators, tax authorities, law enforcement agencies, financial intelligence agency, etc.);
  • to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights;
  • to enforce or comply with our terms and conditions other applicable agreements or policies;
  • to protect our or our customers’ rights or property, or the security or integrity of our online services;
  • for an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity;
  • to protect us, other persons or the public from harm, fraud, or potentially prohibited or illegal activities; or
  • to support our audit, compliance, and corporate governance functions.

We also will share your information with your consent or direction, including if you authorize an account connection with a third-party account or platform.

How We Use Your Information

We may use all the information that we collect, as described above, for the following purposes:

  • To provide you with the products and services you requested.
  • To make sure you follow our terms and conditions or other applicable agreements or policies.
  • In preventing, investigating, detecting, recovering from or reporting fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing or other illegal activities and enhancing the security of your account or our online services.
  • To comply with banking, regulatory reporting and other legal requirements.
  • In operating, evaluating and improving our business, including developing new products and services; improving existing products and services; performing data analytics; and performing accounting, auditing, and other internal functions.
  • To deliver marketing communications that we believe may be of interest to you, including ads or offers which have been tailored to suit you.
  • To verify your identity and/or location (or that of your authorised agents) in order to allow access to your accounts, conduct online transactions.
  • To comply with legal processes and law enforcement requirements.

 How Long We Keep Your Information

We generally keep your information as long as reasonably necessary to provide you the online services or to comply with applicable law. However, even after you deactivate your account, we can retain copies of information about you and any transactions or online services in which you may have participated for a period of time that is consistent with applicable law, applicable statute of limitations or as we believe is reasonably necessary to comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, to detect or prevent fraud, to collect fees owed, to resolve disputes, to address problems with our online services, to assist with investigations, to enforce our terms and conditions or other applicable agreements or policies, or to take any other actions consistent with applicable law.

Linking to Other Sites

We may provide links to non-Bank companies, such as credit bureaus or merchants. If you choose to link to websites not controlled by the Bank, we are not responsible for the privacy or security of these sites, including the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of their information. If you are asked to provide information on one of these websites, we strongly urge you to carefully study their privacy policies before sharing your information.

Changes to the Privacy & Security Policy

If we make changes to our Privacy & Security Policy or make any material changes to our online services, we will revise this Policy to reflect such changes and revise the Policy effective date. It is your responsibility to review this Policy frequently and remain informed about any changes to it, so we encourage you to visit this page often. Any changes to the Policy will become effective when the revised Policy is posted on our website. Your continued use of our online services constitutes your acceptance of such changes and the most recent versions of this Policy.